Huskers Head To Columbus To Face Buckeyes

This Week: With and 8-3 overall record in their last 11 games and a 4-2 road record on the season, the Huskers travel to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend for a three-game series against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Huskers and Buckeyes are currently tied with Indiana for second place in the Big Ten Conference, as all three schools hold a 5-4 league record.

Action is schedule to start Friday night at 5:35 p.m. (CT) when sophomore lefty Tyler King takes the mound for his first career conference start at Bill Davis Stadium.

Brandon Pierce will start on Saturday for NU for the second straight week at 2:05 p.m., while lefty Zach Hirsch will take the mound in the finale on Sunday at 12:05 p.m.

Tickets: Single game tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (614) 431-3600 or online at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Prices will vary based on seating location and service fees may apply. Reserved Box Seats are $11 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for students/children and everyone, regardless of age, must have a ticket in these sections. General admission bleacher seats are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for students/children, and children 6 and under are admitted free.

Television: No TV coverage, but all three games will be streamed live on Buckeye Vision at OhioStateBuckeyes.com (subscription required).

On the Radio: Fans across Nebraska and around the world can listen Lane Grindle and Jeff Culhane call all of the action on the Husker Sports Network - including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln - and on the Internet at Huskers.com or the Official Husker App. A complete list of HSN affiliates can be found on page 9.

NOTE - Due to Nebraska football’s Spring Game on Saturday, many affiliates will join the baseball game following the conclusion of the football broadcast. In Lincoln, 105.3 WOW-FM (not KLIN 1400 AM) will carry the entire baseball broadcast.

Scouting Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes enter the weekend on a six-game winning streak, including a series sweep of Minnesota last weekend at home.

The last five wins have come at Bill Davis Stadium after the Buckeyes started the streak with a 9-2 win over Miami, Ohio, in Oxford.

On the year, Ohio State is 20-12 overall and is tied with Nebraska and Indiana for second in the Big Ten with a 5-4 league record. OSU is 9-3 at home, but has struggled on the road with a 4-7 record. The Buckeyes have played well in neutral site games though with a 7-2 record on the season.

The magic number when it comes to runs for Ohio State has been six this season. When the Buckeyes score at least six runs, they are 12-1, but when they give up six or more runs, they are just 2-8. OSU also is also good when they tally more hits, as they are 13-0 on the year when out-hitting the opposition, but just 5-11 when they are out hit.

While the Huskers have scored a lot of runs late in games and have made comebacks, the Buckeyes try to get out to an early lead and hang on as they don’t score much late in the game. OSU is 1-9 when trailing after six innings and 0-10 on the year when trailing after seven innings.

Offensively, the Buckeyes hit .267 as a team with five players hitting over .300 on the year. Joe Ciamacco leads the team with a .347 average, while Josh Dezse is hitting .305 and leads the team with five home runs. Dezse was named Big Ten Freshman of the year in 2011.

OSU will be one of the toughest challenges the Huskers’ have faced this season on the bases, as they have 54 steals on the season and have been caught just 12 times. Kirby Pellant leads the team with 18 steals in 20 attempts, while Ciamacco is 10-for-10 and three other Buckeyes have at least five steals.

On the mound, OSU has a team ERA of 4.39 and is holding opposing batters to a .281 average. The Buckeyes have 200 strikeouts as a staff compared to 105 walks.

Brett McKinney and Greg Greve have each started a team-high eight games, while Brian King is next, with all seven of his appearances coming in starts.

McKinney has one of the Buckeyes’ two complete games on the year, while Jaron Long has the other with a complete game shutout against Michigan State on March 31 in East Lansing, as the Buckeyes won 1-0 in a pitching duel. Long leads the Buckeyes with 38 strikeouts in a team-high 53.1 innings of work in six starts over eight appearances.

At the end of the game the Buckeyes may bring in Dezse from first base to close the game. The sophomore leads the team in saves with three and has a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances. Over 14.0 innings of work, Dezse has give up six runs (all earned) on nine hits, while striking out eight, but has he has walked 11 batters.

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